A new Albany High at the Harriman Campus?

A front-page story in today’s TU details how state and local officials are considering building a new Albany High School at the Harriman State Office Campus (map). In turn, the current high school site (photo above) would be turned over to a private developer who would build dorms and retail targeted at Saint Rose and UAlbany students.

City residents would get a new high school and athletic fields on nearly 30 acres of what is now state-owned land. And they would have the current high school site added to the tax rolls with a redeveloped and privately owned portion of Washington Avenue.

The proposal would also — at last! — start the long-planned and much-discussed redevelopment of Harriman, the 330-acre campus in uptown Albany. True, a new high school is not exactly the broad redevelopment, targeted at job-generating tech companies, that state officials have been discussing since 2003. But sources on Monday told me that the plan for a relocated high school is likely just one piece of a broader Harriman announcement expected from state and local officials in coming weeks.

So what’s your take? Is Harriman a good place for a new Albany High? Is that a good use for Harriman land considered one of the city’s prime development opportunities? Other thoughts? (Photo by Phil Kamrass/TU)

AHS only has a 50-percent graduating rate? Wow, that’s incredibly
pathetic. It’s everybody’s fault, the tecahers, the adminsistration, the parents and the kids who don’t think they need a HS Diploma in the 21st century.

Having attened AHS myself I have some nostalgia for the place, but I think the days of waregousing students in one single building is over. AHS kids need more control and smaller learning environments, so if the move would allow that I’d say yes.

While the Albany School District is at it, it should include in its planning, the concept of sponsoring a two-year community college, on the Harriman College. The majority of students who attend AHS do not go on to a four-year college but many do attempt to enroll in a community college, all be it, in Troy or Schenectady. Having as community college within walking distance of the proposed Albany High campus would serve as a visible enducement for many students who cannot afford or are not motivated to be successful, educationally speaking. If AHS administrators and SED are really concerned about improving student graduation rates in Albany, there is no better motivator than having immediate access to a 4-year campus (UAlbany) and a 2-year campus (lets call it, Albany County Community College)within a 10 minute walk of their high school.

What would the relocation do to the property values on nearby Western, Washington and Brevator Aves? My thought is it would sink them… Every day when AHS lets out, it is controlled chaos (being generous), with cops lining the streets. It’ll be sad for those new neighbors to be greeted by APD every day.

sounds like more expense to the tax payers , now you have to bus the kids to get there , buying more buses and using more fuel, paying the bus drivers,, St rose was a blessing on Madison ave neighborhood unlike Albany high which devalued the neighborhoods, am sure a new school wont solve its lousey track record with graduations or voilence

I’d be willing to bet Albany will pay for Saint Rose to take over the spot AND give ’em a tax exemption. That school pulls in money hand over fist- make them pay the actual value of the property if this plan goes through. I’m certain some shady back-door deals will take place. CSR is highly overrated- take it from someone with a master’s in ed. from the school…..it was a HUGE waste of time and money.

I believe over all this would be a great thing for the Albany School District and City, as long as it is executed correctly. I believe there are a lot of synergies that could be tapped into by having the high school students located directly alongside SUNY Albany and allow for the development of clearer pathways from high school, to college and ultimately into the 21st Century fields that are being developed in partnership with the university (Nano, green tech, biosciences, etc). For many students who have given up on believing they can have access to these well-paying and satisfying job fields, this relocation would help strengthen inner-city students’ confidence in going after these jobs by providing them opportunities to take college level classes while in high school, have access to internships with some of the lead companies associated with the university, and have more day-to-day exposure to working professionals that can more appropriately guide them in their educational/occupational development. Many of these partnerships are currently being developed between the college, associated companies and the Albany School District, and as an alumni of SUNY Albany will be involved with these maturing relationships that can only be strengthen by locating the high school alongside the college. Some may argue there are some more legitimate uses of the land, but this move would only affect a portion of the Harriman Campus and would go a long way to providing our children with pathways into the 21st Century economy, far more worthy of a goal than building a condos with ground floor Starbuck’s, etc.

A city of our size needs at least two high schools. If the plan is to move all of Albany High (and that is clearly the plan) to Harriman it is a waste of money and effort. “Oh, but you can’t have two high schools! One would be better than the other.” So what.

So – – the Mayor and the Governor are talking about this plan. As a parent of an AHS student, I wonder why no one has consulted the parents and families of children in the Albany schools? While the current AHS building has lots of problems and the school itself has much work to do to make it work for all of the students, the fact is that much of the necessary work is being done at this time to improve the school. Would it really help to move the location to a place that is far from where most students and families live? It might be nice to have a new facility and better athletic fields, but not if not one can get there. Maybe the Mayor and the Governor ought to stop talking to each other and do some outreach to the people who would be most impacted by this “plan”. (And, while they’re at it, if they really want to help students, how about extending the millionaire’s tax so public education in NY State can be adequately funded?)

I graduated from AHS in 1997, and by that time the building was in rough shape. It’s easy to tell a lot of corners were cut and it was built on the cheap. It would not surprise me if the psychological message the building sent to kids was “you’re just not worth investing in.” I’m also willing to bet that improved facilities will benefit our students. If we look at this like a businesses, and good students are the intended product, then we cannot have a poorly equipped factory. This city must regain a competitive advantage to attract and retain new families. I don’t think that the Harriman Campus is a good fit – it’s far from the center of the city, it makes walking to school impossible, and it’s backwards considering the move to privatize the campus to get tax revenue from it’s land. Why not build a new School on Beverwyk Park, tear down the old school (and the abandoned naval reserve center next to it) and use the land for the athletic fields. St. Mary’s park could then offset alienated parkland from Beverwyk.

I for one don’t want Albany High anywhere near the state campus. It was a RELIEF to get rid of the students at AHS and continue the rest of the ride on the bus in PEACE and quiet. They are loud, rude, and impolite. Just a few of the adjectives that can be used to describe the students of Albany High. Also the crime rate would go up. I hope I am retired before this happens. Besides that maybe they only need half the space, since only half will graduate.

I live a few streets away from the Harriman campus and my first thought about the article was ‘better sell my house while it’s still worth something.’ Good luck to those UAlbany students who would have to deal with the daily nonsense that is Albany High.

Not sure about moving the school to the Harriman campus but do like the suggestion for a community college at that location. Especially one geared toward science and technology that could prepare students for the increasing number of tech jobs coming to this area.

Why put a school on “prime real estate” such as the Harriman Campus? What about the old Doane Stuart site? There are other parts of this city that needs some serious “urban renewal”. Overall, the problems with AHS do not stem with the physical building, but any number of social, family, and administration problems that have not been dealt with correctly. So, to me this proposal sound fishy.

I would think there would have to be greater demands on busing kids out there since I imagine, the concentration of kids attending AHS is higher near it’s current location.

I wonder what it will do for the rental communities, both in the student getto, pardon, ‘education district’ and through the western part of the Pine Hills. I assume the housing they are proposing would have the same arguement(s) that St Rose has for the new building on Madison.. safety. Perhaps it could reverse the trend and get some home ownership in those areas.

Some are suggesting that moving the AHS to the Harriman Campus will encourage students to take part in college level classes or encourage them to go into a career. When I attended AHS (10+ years ago) there were five programs which seniors could enter called exploration programs which were taken in conjunction with Saint Rose. Classes were held at the college two days a week and the other three days were spent “in the field.” The programs centered around Criminal Justice, Medical, Education, Finance, and I can’t remember the last. There was also the vocational center just up the street which offered “trade” skills such as culinary skills, cosmetology, mechanics, etc. In addition to all that, students have the option of taking many Advanced Placement classes for college credit. If these aren’t offered any more, than I apologize, but just moving the campus won’t offer any greater opportunities than what is already offered currently.

And as daleyplanit said, the building was in rough shape when I was there and I can imagine it has gotten worse. The carpet was awful, the fake plastic “walls” in classrooms with no windows. The lockers were terrible, the bathrooms atrocious.

I have to agree with Rich (#7). The old saying out of sight out of mind goes both ways. If these kids were getting educated in close proximity to a great university center it might remind them of the potential they have to succeed. I for one have certain sense of pride in watching our new High Tech facilities springing up around Albany.

As far as the safety issues I think placing the school on the Harriman campus might help the situation. Being in the middle of the Pine Hills neighborhood the current high school is walking distance to many areas in Albany. A student getting out of classes for the day has the potential to get into some trouble after school. Place them on the barren sprawl of the Harriman campus and their only options are hop on a bus and go home or participate in extracurricular activities

Has crime increased in the neighborhood since we built Meyers Middle School?
I know that was a huge concern in that neighborhood.
What is the crime rate in the current neighborhood around AHS?
I have often been there at night and never felt unsafe.
I wonder if more students would end up taking buses to and from school if it was at Harriman-the result being they wouldn’t hang around the area after school-no Burger King or McDonalds close by….

I live VERY close to the High School on a quiet street with great neighbors. The issues with the AHS students are totally overblown by people from outside the neighborhood that see the huge outflow of kids when school ends. Yes, you need to direct them to buses and put a crossing guard out to let them cross the street, but beyond that the kids are mostly respectful and don’t do anything beyond what kids usually do – goof around and walk home. If an occasional fight breaks out, this is what all high school age kids do; having them on a main road like Washington Ave. helps minimize that sort of thing by having a high level of visibility for police officers in the middle of the day.

I am WAY WAY WAY more concerned about putting another dorm right there. AHS serves as a buffer at night time and a relative dividing line between the very dense student housing in the Washington/Partridge/Madision/N. Lake quadrant and the less dense mix of students and families around and past N. Main. Bringing in another dorm that will most likely accommodate a couple of hundred college students will just increase the high-density college sprawl even higher and cause more late night noise, more trash, and more crime as criminals hawk on the drunk kids walking home from the downtown bars. The cops have their hands full handling 8 blocks during the school year on Friday and Saturday night, adding in that much more density of students will be a disaster.

#6: As a professor at St. Rose, I’m alarmed that you earned a degree in education based upon the structure of your comment.

I’m not holding my breath while I wait for such a plan to come to fruition. Remember the State Education Department’s report on Albany High School? Building an updated facility in a different location won’t change the fundamental challenges at AHS.

@17-I earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at UAlbany. Thousands of students live at the uptown campus and many live in the “student ghetto” downtown, but the latter do not negate the former. The point is college students shouldn’t have to deal with what WE ALL know Albany High involves simply as a consequence of choosing to attend the University. It’s an entirely different story for those students who choose to live downtown.

@27, I was talking about the dorms downtown, not even taking the renters into consideration. And to my knowledge the downtown dorm residents don’t choose to live there, it is where they get placed.

And as Jesse @25 and others point out, “WE ALL” don’t know what Albany High involves–enlighten us. I have missed all the stabbing, mugging and mayhem stories occurring in the middle of the day surrounding the HS.

Thanks (7). I really believe that a community college that offers, 2-year degrees and certifications in “practical” fields of endeavor, much like those offered at the overcrowded campus at HVCC, would make the Harriman Campus the most outstanding high school program in New York State. Graduates from Albany High would merely have to “cross the street” to go to college and/or to learn a productive skill.

UAlbany offers a vast array of “academic endeavors too so any student attending Albany High would have a myriad of educational opportunities beyond high school available to them. This should create opportunities that nearly all modest and low income families could afford. Opportunity is what these kids need, as most have been raised to believe there are none for them in the “real world”. Even those who try to advance themselves have to travel 10-15 miles, one-way, to take a stab at “college”. That is a tough hurdle to overcome at age 18!

As for the location, let me say that there are natural and man-made barriers that would prevent most students from causing problems in the Melrose neighborhood that surrounds the campus. In particular, there is the Route 85 by-pass which runs parallel with the eastern most boundary of the Harriman tract. UAlbany borders the west end of the campus and Washington and Western avenues are the campus’s northern & southern boundaries. Few if any students would try to cross that road because it is so heavily traveled. Likewise, one has to assume that there will be more than one building constructed on the new high school campus. this would help to control student behavior inmmensely. Perhaps even the administration at Academy Park might be re-located there, so that down-town property could be returned to the tax rolls. I say…go for it….!!

I think this is a good idea for the neighborhood as long as there is imput from all parties involved or impacted by the changes: Students, parents, teachers, neighbors, businesses etc. There is much more space uptown, lots of room for sports, parking for events and so on.
A new campus may bring a much needed new sense of unity and ownership to the school-a fresh start on learning. Development of some retail space in the neighborhood will be nice for Pine Hills as long as it does not include more bars-we have enough of those on every block now.